Task Programme

You don't need any experience to come on any of our tasks, and we provide all the tools, training and safety equipment that you need. If you would like more information about whether a task is suitable for you then please contact us.

Please book with our Transport Secretary before the task. To find out how to book, what to bring and where to meet, look at the page about Sunday tasks.

There is also practical information about residential tasks.

Summary Task Programme

	Here is a printer-friendly task programme (250kb)
	Here is our Google Calendar of tasks and social events

Detailed Task Programme

Here is a map of all our work-sites.

December 13 Addiewell Bing: tree felling

Addiewell Bing is a long, narrow reserve of 21hectares just south of Bathgate in West Lothian, which is leased and managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT). It is an excellent example of how a derelict industrial site - part of the oil shale industry - can be converted into an important wildlife refuge.

Most of the reserve is covered by woodland and scrub, but there are also patches of bracken, heather, open grassland and marshy ground with a rich variety of plants and birds. Originally, the area was planted with lodgepole pine to help stabilise the steep sides of this old spoil heap. More recently, these trees have been replaced with native species including oak and ash.

In the past we have felled lodgepole pine, upgraded the footpath and cleared invading broom from areas of heather. This time we will be working with SWT to continue to fell lodgepole pine trees in order to provide more room and light for native species.

December 20 Addiewell Bing: Christmas-tree felling

This will be a continuation of the work begun on December 13. Volunteers on this task may select the tops off the best thinnings to take home for Christmas trees. If you bribe the driver, you may also have it delivered to your door!

December 27 Addiewell Bing: tree felling

This will be a continuation of the work begun on December 13.

January 2 SATURDAY Addiewell Bing: tree felling

This will be a continuation of the work begun on December 13.

January 3 Addiewell Bing: tree felling

This will be a continuation of the work begun on December 13.

January 10 Springfield Mill: tree thinning

Springfield Mill is a new site in the North Esk Valley between Loanhead and Bonnyrigg. A paper mill until the late 1960s, the site has now been reclaimed and restored as a wildlife area for use by the public. It has been seeded with wildflower mixes and planted with various native trees. Located at a bend in the River North Esk there are two seasonal ponds, areas of birch and willow woodland and grasslands. On this task we will be working with the Midlothian Ranger Service to thin areas of birch and willow regeneration. We will burn the resulting brash and stack the larger bits of wood to form habitat piles for wee beasties such as beetles, grubs and woodlice.

January 17 Addiewell Bing: tree felling

 This will be a continuation of the work begun on December 13.

January 24 Addiewell Bing: tree planting

For a description of this site see December 13. On this visit we will be planting native tree species in some of the areas that we have clear felled.

January 31 Aberlady Bay: sea buckthorn removal

Situated on the coast, Aberlady Bay is a Local Nature Reserve owned and managed by East Lothian Council. It is a large area - 580 hectares - made up of an open bay with sand and mudflats, as well as expanses of saltings, dunes and grassland. The area is best known for its birds, where over 200 species have been seen. There is also considerable botanical interest - you can see the full plant succession from mudflat to saltmarsh, to dune scrub and grassland. On this task, we will be clearing areas of invasive sea buckthorn. Sea buckthorn is quite prickly, so hard-wearing clothes are advisable.

February 7 Bawsinch: tree planting

Bawsinch and Duddingston Loch are found on the southern edge of Holyrood Park, just below Arthur's Seat and only three kilometres from the city centre. Formerly a derelict industrial site, Bawsinch is a triangular area next to the south shore of the loch. This 26 hectare reserve, partly owned and managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, is a bird sanctuary and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The area boasts breeding and wintering wildfowl, marshland with reedbeds and willow, patches of scrub and woodland, some freshwater ponds and an area of grassland named Goose Green. In the past LCV has felled trees, cleared ponds, built log bridges and cleared invasive vegetation. On this task we will be planting trees.

February 14 Whitmuir Farm: tree planting and fencework

Whitmuir Farm is a small, organic farm in the Scottish Borders where fruit and vegetables are grown and poultry and livestock are raised in natural, chemical-free conditions. Pigs roam free through the forest and chickens are truly free-range.

The farm sits in a very exposed position where strong prevailing winds cause soil erosion. Trees were recently planted in a wide alley system between which crops are grown. This not only helps reduce soil erosion but planting native tree species - beneath which will be an area of uncultivated ground cover - will also benefit biodiversity and increase soil fertility as nutrients cycle through the trees.

On this visit, our first to the site, we will plant trees around a pond and fence off the area. The pond will be used to supply a cattle trough. We will also construct simple shelters to protect oak trees in an area used for grazing livestock.

February 21 Roslin Glen: pathwork and woodland maintenance

Roslin Glen is a 19 hectare reserve to the east of Roslin village and on the south bank of the River North Esk in Midlothian. The site is leased and managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is a relatively undisturbed mixed deciduous woodland largely made up of native sessile oak, wych-elm and ash, with a shrub layer of hazel and holly. There are also some introduced sycamore, beech and Norway spruce trees which are gradually being removed.

The area boasts a rich woodland flora which includes dog's mercury, ramsons, wood-rush and various ferns. Dippers and kingfishers can be seen in the fairly clean waters of the Esk. The area has been put under a Millennium Forest for Scotland grant scheme to return the woodland to a native mixture of trees such as ash, alder, oak, pine and birch. On this task we will maintaining the woodland habitat and improving access by working on steps and paths in the glen.

February 28 Donald Rose Wood: tree tubing

Donald Rose Wood is in Fife near the village of Star, close to Markinch. It was formerly a sitka spruce plantation, and was acquired by a group of six people in 2001, including our own Tim Duffy. The site surrounds a picturesque reservoir, with stunning views of the Ochil Hills and Edinburgh. Part of the reservoir has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

On previous tasks, LCV has burned the spruce brash from the former plantation to make way for planting with native broadleaf trees, planted trees and carried out the post planting management called 'beating up'. This means checking newly planted trees are healthy; weeding, re-staking and restocking dead - or eaten by roe deer - trees as necessary. On this task we shall be tubing and staking trees that need to 'get away' from the effects of the beautiful roe deer. There will also be chicken wire cages to put on especially sensitive and apparently tasty - to roe deer - species.

March 7 Gartmorn Dam Country Park: habitat improvement

Nestled gracefully between the Ochils and the Firth of Forth, Gartmorn Dam was built in 1713 to power pumps for the burgeoning coal industry. At the time it constituted the largest artificial body of water in the country. Coal mining in the area continued right up to the 1980s, after which Gartmorn Dam became a country park and is now the jewel of Clackmannanshire's countryside. Having been notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1980 due to its overwintering wildfowl, the country park is an important area for many species including goldeneye, great crested grebes, whooper swans and dabchicks. On this visit, our first to the site, we will be working with the Clackmannanshire Ranger Service to help improve a grassland area and increase access for ground nesting birds. The area can be quite damp, so wellington boots are recommended if you can bring them.

March 14 Whitmuir Farm: tree planting and fencework

This will be a continuation of the task begun on February 14.

March 19 - 21 Taynish Residential: woodland management

The ancient deciduous woodland at Taynish is one of the largest in Britain. Oak trees have flourished here for 6,000 years or more - a little longer than people have lived here. Once a source of timber and charcoal, these woods now form one of Britain's largest remaining native oakwoods. The importance of the site was recognised in 1977 by designation as a National Nature Reserve and it is now managed by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). Taynish lies on a scenic peninsula overlooking Loch Sween, which was scoured out by glaciers 11,000 years ago, and has an atmosphere all of its own.

The peninsula has a wide range of habitats, including shoreline, grassland, scrub, bog, heath and woodland, each home to a host of plants, insects, birds and mammals that thrive in the clean, humid air. In all, between the woodland's dripping ferns and mosses and the marsh and grassland, over 300 plant species and more than 20 kinds of butterfly are supported. To help the woods keep their near-natural character and rich wildlife, SNH is encouraging the spread of native trees by controlling deer, which browse on young trees. SNH is also removing rhododendron, which crowds out other plants.

On this visit to the site we will be removing invasive beech, gorse and rhododendron. Accommodation is in the luxurious Kilmartin 'bothy' with cosy beds, en-suite showers and a useful 'drying room' for your gear in the possible event of rain. Duvets and pillows are provided, but please bring (single) bed linen with you. Book your place with Debbie by 17 March at the latest.

March 28 Spottiswoode: tree planting

Dr David Long from the Royal Botanic Gardens has purchased land near Lauder that contains a spruce plantation. He has gradually removed the spruce and replaced it with natural broadleaf woodland, to increase biodiversity. LCV has visited Spottiswoode a number of times in the last couple of years, clearing and burning spruce and planting trees. On this task we will be continuing the tree planting work - planting native species on the land cleared of spruce and brash, and protecting the trees with guards and stakes.

(c) Lothians Conservation Volunteers 2009

Lothians Conservation Volunteers is a charity registered in Scotland, No: SC020384

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